In this chapter, we will discuss threats and vulnerabilities facing computer users and systems today, and differentiate among them so you will be well equipped to both prevent them and remediate them when they occur. This chapter will cover types of malware and attacks, including viruses, spyware, Trojans, rootkits, DDoS attacks, smurf attacks, phishing, and vishing. It will also detail special types of attacks, such as those made using social engineering, over wireless networks, and utilizing application exploits. Finally, we will look at mitigation and deterrent techniques, as well as the tools available to test and find threats and vulnerabilities, and we will discuss penetration testing versus vulnerability scanning. The core Security+ exam objectives covered in this chapter are as follows:
- Analyze and differentiate among types of malware
- Analyze and differentiate among types of attacks
- Analyze and differentiate among types of social engineering attacks
- Analyze and differentiate among types of wireless attacks
- Analyze and differentiate among types of application attacks
- Analyze and differentiate among types of mitigation and deterrent techniques
- Implement assessment tools and techniques to discover security threats and vulnerabilities
- Within the realm of vulnerability assessments, explain the proper use of penetration testing versus vulnerability scanning
- Quizzes